Archive for the ‘fryers’ Category

Have you ever looked at the fryer market and wondered why there was such a difference in prices? Why are some fryers $600 and others $2,000? A fryer is a fryer is a fryer.. right? The answer is yes, and no.

Let’s keep things simple. Cooking is a function of temperature over time. If you have a fryer at 350 degrees, it should cook as well as another fryer at 350 degrees. A lot of fryer manufacturers will agree I am over simplifying things here, but it’s true. If all things are equal and in the interest of over-simplifying things, that statement is correct. (I’ll save you the fry curve and recovery temperature curve lesson)

So then, all things being equal, why are some $600 and some $2,000? The answer is efficiency. Cheaper fryers can cost a lot more to operate. We did some research and here’s what we found:

At the end of the day, the cheaper fryer might be the one you can’t afford.

We have a deep love of deep fryers here at ShortOrder. Why? Because you can fry anything. And it’s hard to argue with a deep-fried Oreo. Seriously, though, restaurants the world over rely on fryers every day to produce a veritable smörgåsbord of piping hot dishes. So whether you want to try out gourmet donuts, deep-fried veggies, or want to add to your repertoire of ways to serve potatoes, a commercial deep fryer for your restaurant is a must. Today, ShortOrder presents everything you ever wanted to know about buying a deep fryer for your restaurant.

Different Types of Deep Fryers

Restaurant equipment suppliers like ShortOrder carry a variety of kinds of commercial deep fryers. When it comes to fryer types, there are 3 basic kinds of heating methods. Each also has different sizes of sediment zones, or “cool zones”, in which excess food pieces fall off of food during the frying process. Thus, different types of fryers are better suited for different uses. Here is our breakdown of restaurant fryer types.

We like to keep an eye on trends in the fast casual segment here at ShortOrder, and recently we spotted one that’s particularly a-peel-ing. Apparently potatoes are what’s hot—so to speak—in fryers across the nation. Because the potato is a versatile vegetable (boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew), there are many possibilities when it comes to catering to customers in need of a creative spud.

The potato trend is actually one that’s resurfacing. It was a big deal back in about 2008, when it seemed that every oven in a quick service restaurant was making room for potatoes and sweet potatoes. Now, a recent twist has found a place in the fast casual industry, and a few places, like Potatopia, have even made the potato the star of a single-item menu. Not unlike the fast casual personal pizza trend, the potato trend focus seems to be mostly on variety, customization, and toppings.

So how can you hop on the potato trend bandwagon?

Start by exploring all your potato possibilities. First, the things you can do to the actual potato: bake, boil, mash, twice-bake, thrice-bake, pancake, smash, sauté, fry, pie, and chip are just a few that come to mind. When you’re equipped with the right restaurant equipment, there is no limit to the number of ways you can cook a potato.

Next, the art of dressing the potato. Old standbys like cheese, sour cream, and butter are, of course, a good idea, but you can easily branch out to let customers personalize their potatoes with sauces, meats, vegetables, and more.

Then make sure you’ve got the right equipment. The kitchen at Potatopia, for example, houses a double-decker convection oven, fryers, and a hybrid convection-microwave oven. Gather up a variety of restaurant equipment, and make sure you get high-quality equipment like Gen2 fryers. If your menu is based around a single item, you don’t want your main ingredient to be a lackluster part of the dish.

Has your fast casual eatery capitalized on the potato trend? What kinds of restaurant equipment and fryers have you used? Let us know by connecting with ShortOrder on Twitter and Facebook!

Well, perhaps not, but it certainly exploded after the Cronut. Pastry-hawkers the world over have been heating up their fryers to participate in a deep-fried, sugar-glazed fad: the designer doughnut trend.

The Cronut is a cross between a croissant and a doughnut, and it is just as delicious as it sounds. Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York launched the Cronut on May 10, 2013, and it has since exploded into viral fame and become a much-imitated favorite. However, the Cronut was not the first to use fryers to put a high-end spin on America’s favorite deep-fried breakfast food. Places like Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon have been making unusual doughnuts since the early 2000s, and Psycho Donuts in Campbell, California has been in operation since 2009. Today, doughnut purveyors of all kinds are producing gourmet glazed goodness from their fryers. Designer doughnuts are showing up in all segments of the restaurant industry, from fine dining to fast food. In fact, according to Datassential’s MenusTrends data, doughnuts are now on 4% of all restaurant menus, a 27% increase since 2008.

Dunkin’ Donuts is just one of the many establishments capitalizating on the designer doughnut fad. Dunkin’, which seasonally offers pumpkin-flavored doughnuts, is adding a new one to its fryers this fall: a pumpkin pie doughnut filled with buttercream, topped with white icing and graham cracker topping. Likewise, Gourdough’s, a food truck in Austin, Texas that opened in late 2009 that serves up artisan dessert doughnuts from its fryers, expanded its options earlier this year by opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant with a menu full of savory doughnut dishes like chicken and doughnut hole dumplings, donut burgers, and salads that come served with a “piping hot garlic doughnut”. And Earth + Ocean Food and Drink in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, which opened in February of this year, features Portuguese doughnuts (“malsadas”).

What do you think of the designer doughnut trend? Have you used your restaurant’s fryers or commercial restaurant equipment to create artisan spins on old fast food favorites? Connect with ShortOrder on Twitter and Facebook and tell us! You can also follow us to keep with more restaurant industry trends and tips.

It’s no secret that in the South, food is top priority, and that fried food is a favorite in Southern kitchens. Fryers are an important addition to any Southern restaurant, as there are so many fried foods that are part of the Southern cooking tradition. County fairs are famous for filling their fryers with such strange things as s’mores and cotton candy, and “chicken-fried steak” is something that has confused many a Northerner on at least one occasion. Fried vegetables are ubiquitous on Southern menus, and there are many options for veggies to throw in the fryers. The batter for vegetables in those fryers is fairly uniform, often consisting of an eggwash or buttermilk dip, coated with a flour or cornmeal mixture and some spices. Her are a few of our favorite Southern deep-fried vegetables which are sure to keep your fryers full.

Fried PicklesBattered pickles fresh out of the kitchen fryers are a Southern staple. Almost any Southern barbecue menu will list fried pickles as an optional side, and some even include them on their burgers! Many chain restaurants have them on their appetizer menus as well for variety. There are two types of fried pickles: chips and wedges. Chips are small, round, and thin, as they come from slicking the pickle crosswise. Cutting the pickle lengthwise fewer times produces wedges, making for a juicier result. Fried pickles are often served with blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, or a similarly creamy sauce.

Fried Green TomatoesMade famous by the 1991 film of the same name, fried green tomatoes can be eaten as a side dish, or for breakfast or brunch! They are a great way to use up end-of-season tomatoes. Just thinly slice the green tomatoes, then dip them in seasoned cornmeal and fry until crispy.

Fried OkraOkra is a vegetable that is a fryer’s delight. The okra plant itself is actually a flowering plant, but its edible seed pods are what make it so deliciously famous. To make fried okra, slice the pod crosswise so that each piece of okra is bite-sized. The okra is then coated with a mixture of buttermilk, cornmeal, flour, and seasoning, and deep-fried. Serve them with ketchup or hot sauce, or by themselves!

As the winter chill blows in and the holidays are upon us, you’re probably wishing for some of that bygone summer sunshine right now. If you’re feeling nostalgic for summer food, use fryers to recreate your favorite fried recipes from the county fair. Yes, there are plenty of winter foods to satisfy your fried cravings (see fried stuffing on a stick), but there is nothing like a good old-fashioned summer treat to take you back to those warmer days. And there is so much more out there in the fryers than doughnuts. The Texas State Fair, for example, holds a contest every year to determine the best, most original food among the concessionaires, and most of the contenders—and almost all of the winners for the last seven years—have been deep-fried. 2012’s winners of the Big Tex Choice Award? The trophy for Best Taste went to the “Deep-Fried Jambalaya,” and Most Creative was awarded to the “Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll.” Heat up the fryers this winter and take a trip to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer with these crispy dishes.

1. Deep-Fried Cotton CandyNever was there a more classic fair food. This traditional spun-sugar treat is battered lightly in a funnel cake mix, quick-fried, and skewered.

2. Deep-Fried OreosFryers all over the nation regularly fire up for this fair favorite. It’s as simple as it sounds: Oreo cookies dipped in pancake batter and deep-fried. Best served hot, the cookie itself becomes soft like the pancake surrounding it.

3. Southern Fried PiesThe fried pie has been around for over 100 years as a Southern dessert staple. More like a turnover or an empanada than a slice of traditional pie, the fried pie consists of fruit filling wrapped in pastry dough. They are served as hand pies, so pass the napkins.

4. Deep-Fried S’moresThe traditional campfire food is now even messier. Using marshmallow fluff or flat marshmallows (yes, they make them just for s’mores now), assemble chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow, then dip in sweet batter and fry. You might ask for “s’more,” but your arteries might say “No thank you.”

5. Deep-Fried SamoasYour favorite Girl Scout cookie has gone rogue. The Samoa cookie (also known as a “Caramel DeLite”) is wrapped in a wonton wrapper and deep-fried to perfection, then drizzled with chocolate sauce, caramel, and coconut. “Be prepared” for a sweet, sweet heart attack.

Pop quiz. What do jelly beans, Kool-Aid, salsa, and Pop-Tarts have in common? If you answered they make for one heckuva late night snack, we could give you partial credit. The real answer, however, is that all of these outlandish snacks have been battered, breaded, and turned into delicious deep-fried treats with fryers.

What better reason to batter and fry everything you can get your hands on than football season? After all, football brings out the some of our best qualities: camaraderie, spirit, and competitive tackling. Might as well include creativity too. If you arm yourself with the correct restaurant equipment, you and your fryer will be the MVPs of every game. Take this Gen2 F5-LP Fryer for example. With a heat range of 200-400 degrees Fahrenheit and a 70-pound capacity, it can take on nearly any frying challenge – including a restaurant teeming with hungry football fans.

Here are our three favorite fried foods to serve at your restaurant’s next football watch party:

1. Chicken-Fried Bacon: You might be thinking one of two things. First, what kind of evil genius thought of such an atery-clogging concoction? Or, hopefully you’re like us and say, that is the most artistic use of a fryer ever conceived. What perfect way to break in my Gen2 fryer. So simple, yet so perfect. Why didn’t I think of it first?

2. Fried Avocado Bites: Because nothing says heart-healthy amino acids and folic acid like a little egg batter and butter. Pop some avocado slices into your fryer, top with a touch of cilantro-lime dipping sauce, and you’ll soon become everyone’s hero.

3. Fried PB&J: Have a special menu for the kiddos (and kids at heart)? Ready-to-order peanut butter and jelly sandwiches will be sure to please even the pickiest eater. But why stop there? Even kids with highly selective pallets deserve the chance to enjoy the bounty of a world-class Gen2 fryer. Fried macaroni and cheese balls, oreos, and cupcakes are sure to keep the pipsqueak population pleased.

What delicacies are you excited to make in your fryer this football season?

Frymaster fryers turned 75 years old this year! That means that, for three-quarters of a century, Frymaster’s been putting out top-of-the-line fryers for restaurant kitchens around the world. Restaurateurs and chefs all across the land have been crispifying and crunchifying onion rings, chicken drumsticks, French fries, beignets, and more since the interwar era, making generations of mouths and bellies happy using these fantastically well-made machines.

The Frymaster footprint extends beyond perfectly golden batter, however. The brand has delivered many industry firsts, including built-in oil filtration, advances in oil conservation, and computer controlled frying. For every twist and turn in the restaurant equipment industry, Frymaster’s been there, forging a new path.

Just how much do we love Frymaster fryers? Well, we have our very own blog dedicated to them, for starters! That should count for something. After all, it’s not as though we dedicate the time or energy to do that with just any manufacturer! What’s more, we’ve rated Frymaster fryers very highly on our site. In fact, of their products are rated five stars, which is the highest rating we dole out. What’s more, we’ve bestowed many of their fryers with an Editor’s Choice designation, meaning we really stand by them. Not enough for you? Many fryers, such as the Frymaster fryer EH1721, have been voted Best in Class by Food Service Equipment Supplies Magazine, an industry-specific publication. We note which ones have been so honored.

Looking for other restaurant equipment? If it’s high quality and made by a trusted manufacturer, chances are we have it. We have a line of other excellent products, including Manitowoc ice machines and Hobart slicers, two other brands we’re particularly high on. And when you buy from Short Order, you know that you’ll be getting top-notch restaurant equipment at the lowest price around—check out our low price guarantee for more details.

The Dean Fryer SR42G comes in two flavors. The first (which is where you’ll be directed if you click on the previous link) is the SR42G-Nat, which runs off natural gas. The second is the Dean Fryer SR42G-LP, which is powered by liquified petroleum of some sort, usually propane or butane.

Well! Now that we’ve gotten that unsavory bit of throat-clearing out of the way, here’s the buried lede for you all. The SR42G, whichever one you end up using, is an excellent lightweight fryer perfect for smaller kitchens looking to fry up some goodness for its customers. It’s efficient and affordable, costing only $604. Despite its svelte construction (and price tag), however, this Dean fryer will stand up to some pretty sustained use.

This fryer, like all Dean products, is ingeniously designed. It seems as though we keep belaboring its size, so if that gets old, we apologize. However, we just can’t help but point this out: Its incredibly slim design belies its surprisingly large frying area measuring 14″ x 14″, which is perfect for anything from French fries up to large food items.

The efficiency of the SR42G doesn’t end there, however. This fryer uses an exclusive Thermo-Tube design, in which the heating elements are shaped like tubes, which are surrounded by the cooking oil. The heat absorption is maximized through a system of diffusers which force the heat directly into the oil, making cooking more efficient. And since this makes heat-up time quick, idle costs low, and saves on gas consumption per load of food cooked, the Thermo-Tube design means a less aggressive energy bill at the end of the month, which is something we can all cheer about.

Looking for something a little larger? Check out our other Dean fryers that we have available. Looking for something else entirely? At Short Order, we have a wide variety of restaurant equipment, so you’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for at a low price.

June is here, and in Texas that means triple digit temperatures, brown grass, high electric bills, and oh yeah! Father’s Day! Happy Father’s Day to my dad, and all the dads out there.

On a brighter note, the summer does mean busier times for restaurants and vacationing families. Do you notice an up-swing in the summertime? I heard recently that there were less students looking for summer jobs, and more people are choosing to rely on unemployment benefits through the summer. Have you had a hard time filling summer positions? How have you handled it? I’m glad to share any good tips that I receive.

Have you purchased restaurant equipment from Shortorder.com? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Tell us and your peers why. Go to Shortorder.com and submit a product review! Remember, this newsletter is for you and if there is anything you’d like to know more about – give us a shout! We’d love to hear from you.

No, it’s not an oxymoron, nor is it a myth! Frymaster has done some research and written an article on how it can be done!

The Challenge

It’s not easy being a foodservice operator today. Everyone, it seems is telling you how to cook. Government agencies are mandating the removal of trans fats from menus and the Food and Drug Administration expected to deliver recommendations for reducing acrylamide in fried foods next year, delivering maximum taste in foods that are as healthful as possible is a major challenge. Consumers have made it clear that they are not willing to compromise taste for healthfulness. If something doesn’t taste good, they won’t eat it. Witness the multitude of healthy menus items that have been deleted from menus over time because they weren’t ordered.

Customer Demand

That’s why fried foods are more popular than ever with patrons: they consistently deliver on flavor. Data from Mintel, a global research company, shows that chicken wings and fingers, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks are among the top ten appetizers on chain menus. Clearly, frying is one of the most popular cooking methods with patrons and one that provides unique challenges.

The Solution

The good news is that by following a simple set of principles called The 5 Factors for FitFrying, you can be assured your frying methods address current health issues such as trans fat, while also optimizing taste and extending oil life. The 5 Factors for FitFrying program was developed by Frymaster, LLC, a Manitowoc Foodservice company, and offers best practice guidelines for anyone serving fried foods. It consists of five steps you can take to make sure the fried foods you prepare are flavorful and healthful.

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ShortOrder.com is committed to being the low price leader. Not only will we meet, but we'll beat any legitimate advertised price from a competing food service equipment dealer for any item in our inventory. We will gladly refund 110% of the difference on an identical item from another dealer (including all freight charges.) Contact us at 800-211-0282 if you feel you have located an item that is priced lower than ShortOrder.com.